A Fair Game
by forevergal
Summary: Elisabetta "Buffy" Marciano and Angelo "Angel" Vitale are from two rival Mafia families. For centuries they have been enemies. Despite their hatred for each other, they must remember one thing: Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer.
1. Chapter 1

**A Fair Game**

by Forevergal

Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer.

DISCLAIMER: NONE OF THESE CHARACTERS ARE MINE, NEITHER IS SOME OF THE DIALOGUE, THEY BELONG TO THE WRITERS AND CREATORS OF BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. THE ONLY CHARACTERS AND DIALOGUES I OWN ARE THE ONES THAT I CREATE.

**Just a little guide you might need while reading this.**

babbo: Dad, daddy, in Italian.

cugina: Cousin sister in Italian.

cugino: Cousin brother in Italian.

Don: Godfather, the head of the Mafia family.

Donna: Godmother, the head of the Mafia family.

fratello: Brother in Italian.

madre: Mother in Italian.

padre: Father in Italian.

ragazza: Girl in Italian.

ragazzo: Boy in Italian.

sorella: Sister in Italian.

zia: Aunt in Italian.

zio: Uncle in Italian.

**Chapter One**

_**Sunnydale, CA**_

_**1998**_

"_Buffy! Xander! Can you guys believe it? We're in high school! On top of that, we get to go to the same school together! Remember when we used to go to all different schools, I only got to see you guys like once a month!" Willow squealed excitedly to her two best friends._

"_Now that I'm more mature, my parents aren't gonna' be in my face as much!" Xander exclaimed._

"_Xander, my dear 'cougino', you do realize that you'll never truly get freedom, right? We're in the 'business', so if you were hoping to be able to do anything you want, it ain't gonna happen." Buffy clarified. The other two understood what she meant. Suddenly loud voices and cheering filled the yard._

"_What's going on there?" Willow wondered. All she could see was girls blushing and and students yelling and screaming. A huge bunch of students gathered around something the trio couldn't quite see. _

"_Beat him to a pulp!" one boy yelled._

"_Kick his ass!" another boy shouted._

"_Angel! Angel! Angel!" several kids cheered._

_Buffy, Willow, and Xander went closer to get a better look. When they finally became part of the group, they caught a glimpse of a handsome well-built junior throwing a freshman's books on the ground. Buffy's eyes widened at the sight._

"_Who's that hot-shot? He looks so familiar!" Xander asked. In her head, Willow was asking the exact same question. Buffy had nothing to say. She furiously pushed through the crowd until she was in the center. Willow and Xander tried pulling her back, but soon gave up._

"_Look boy, I know today's your first day, but let me make this clear: nobody fucks with me. Let this be a lesson for all of you newbies here!" the junior threatened. The freshman, Michael, lay frightened on the ground._

"_Leave him alone!" Buffy yelled. And just like that the yard was all quiet and everyone turned around to find themselves staring at a small first year. The junior boy who was the center of attention just stared at her for a brief moment, and a sly grin started to form on his face._

"_Well, if it isn't 'my lady' Marciano!" he said, a slight Italian accent on the tip of his tongue. Everyone whispered to each other at his words._

"_Why don't you piss off and pick on someone your own size!" Buffy quickly thought of something to say, her anger rising._

"_Is that what your poor excuse of a 'babbo' told you, eh Elisabetta?" he taunted._

"_You don't know nothing about my 'padre', Angelo! By now she was almost fuming._

_He chuckled, then he took a step forward. "When I takeover the 'business' I'm gonna' make you eat shit." he said calmly._

"_When I take over after my father, I'll just throw it all back at you!" Buffy said through her teeth, trying to control her temper._

"_Like you could even pull that off, 'ragazza'. I'm older, stronger, and way smarter than you could ever be." He smirked disapprovingly._

"_Well between you and me, Vitale," she accented his last name particularly, then continued, "You just strike me as a hotshot jackass horny jock!" she spat out, slowly finding her confidence again._

_The boy spat on the ground, then he slowly walked towards her. He took her face firmly between his hands and stared at her for a moment. He put on a cheeky grin as he looked down to her._

_All of a sudden he bent down and planted a harsh firm kiss on her lips. She struggled, but after a few seconds, he retreated._

"_It's good to see you again Buffy." And with that, he walked away, laughing, as she threw curses at him in Italian._

**Los Angeles, CA**

**Present day**

"Buffy? Buffy!" Willow called.

"Huh? You were saying?" Buffy asked, dazed. _God! I need to stop dreaming about him! That was years ago!_, she thought.

"Did you even pay any attention to what I was saying?" Willow asked, shaking her head in frustration. Just then, Xander barged in, unannounced.

"Dona! Something big just came up. Don Vitale wants to meet with you tomorrow! He's returning from Rome this evening. He says it cannot wait! What should I tell Giles to say to their Consigliere?" he panicked.

Buffy froze at the mention of the great Godfather Vitale. It's been five years since she'd last seen him, or even heard from him. But that was when she was still eighteen and hadn't become Dona, the boss. She didn't feel that she could handle seeing him again.

She thought for a second, then responded tentatively, "Tell him I'll be expecting him tomorrow afternoon."

**Rome, Italy**

He furiously walked down the hallway of the Vatican, five men behind him, all in grey Gucci suits. The man pushed open the doors of the Cardinal's chambers and invited himself in. An elderly naked man was in his bed up to no good with a younger blond woman in lace.

"And he calls himself a saint!" the man muttered under his breath.

"Don Vitale!" the Cardnal gasped.

"_Cardinale_. I believe we have a problem." He paused for a moment, then continued, "You cheated me and now you will pay." He pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at the Cardinal, who was tentatively reaching for something under his bed.

"Don't you even dare try to fight back!" Vitale yelled. "Adriano?" he called to his cousin behind him, who stepped forward and fired at the woman's forehead.

"Please! Please! Stop! I'll give you back the money! Don't hurt me!" the Cardinal pleaded desperately. He quickly wrote a cheque and gave it to one of the men, who handed it to the boss. Then Vitale shot his traitor execution style and walked away with his cheque, his men behind him.

"Prepare the jet and get my bags! I want to be back in New York as soon as possible! Tomorrow I have an appointment in LA!" he ordered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Los Angeles, CA**

The Marciano family was one of the most powerful in the Mafia, around the whole world. They ruled with an iron fist for generations in Sicily, then half of the family moved to America, to catch more business. Carmine Marciano was the last Don of the family before he died. He had two daughters: Elisabetta "Buffy" Annamaria, and Alba "Dawn" Maddalena. Buffy was now the Donna, and Dawn was one of her Capos. Both of them were trained and born to fight, even though they were women. Their mother, Gioia "Joyce" Emiliana, was also a strong woman, and she didn't care that she had no sons.

Close family friends, the Russo family, also had two daughters: Salice "Willow" Diana, a Consigliera, and her elder sister Tara Estella, both helpful to the Marcianos.

Carmine's brother, Roberto "Giles" Gillo, a Consigliere, and his wife Gianna "Jenny" Calandra had two sons and a daughter: Alessandro "Xander" Lavallerio, a Capo, Daniele "Oz" Osmondo, also a Capo, and Fedela "Faith" Mercede, the Underboss.

The second brother, Vincezo "Vinnie" and his deceased wife had two sons: Marcello and Rodrigo "Rod", both soldiers.

Carmine's youngest brother Tommaso "Tommy", a soldier, and his wife Rosella "Rosa" Loretta had three sons: Luca, Massimo "Max", and Vito, also soldiers working for the Donna.

These were the people that made the family strong.

And then there were the Vitales, another of the two most powerful Mafia families. For centuries they have been at war with the Marcianos, always competing for dominance. One might say they were even stronger, especially with Don Angelo Dante Vitale at the top of the family.

He was one man that was not only feared by his enemies, but also by several members of his own family even. Unlike Buffy Marciano, he didn't care what anyone thought of him, or anybody else's opinions besides his immediate family's, though he never showed his soft side. If something had to be done, then it must be done, no exceptions. This man knew his authority, and he did not take it for granted. Ever since his father, the previous Don, died, he turned into a vicious businessman. No one neglected him and no one disobeyed him. "Angel", they called him, the one with the angelic face.

His mother, Isabella Maria, was one of the few things in his life that kept him going. His brother, the Underboss, William "Spike" Silvio, who was a year younger, was his confidante. He was also the only person in the whole family to have a non-Italian name. His sister, Caterina"Cathy" Bianca, was the apple of her brothers' eyes.

Angel's best friends, Capos Carlo "Gunn" Italo, from the Costa family, and Alonzo "Doyle" Francesco, from the Cavallo family, had always been there for him, since before they could even talk.

Isabella's brother, the Consigliere, Sergio "Serge", a Ponticelli, his wife, Vittoria "Vicky" Siciliana, along with their son and daughter, Lorenzo "Lorne" Valentino, a soldier, and Freda "Fred" Sophia, had always been close to the Vitales.

Angel's father's younger brother, Consigliere Cesare and his ex-wife had three sons and one daughter: Ovest "Wes" Ambrogio, Marco, Adriano "Adrian", all soldiers, and Cordelia "Cordy" Giuliana.

The youngest brother, Antonio "Tony", and his wife, Celeste Letizia, had three sons, soldiers Matteo, Rocco, and Zaccaria "Zack".

These were the key members of the Vitale family. They were loyal and respectful. Despite the Don's relations to them, if one member were to betray him, he wouldn't think twice to make them pay. Just the day before, he'd discovered that the Cardinal Giovanni, a close friend of his father had betrayed him, and within the hour, he was dead.

Now the Don was on his way to meet with a woman he hadn't seen in years. And he was more nervous than ever.

"How about this outfit?" Buffy had been running around the whole morning trying to find something to wear.

"Sure. Whatever. Just choose something already! I don't know why you even care what you look like to him! He's probably just another stuck up man trying to do business with you…maybe he wants to make amends with our family even." Willow was getting tired of this. They had been at it for over an hour now.

"Vitale? I doubt it. He's got too much power in his hands to back down and his ego is too strong. Like he would ever want to be allies with us. Not now, not ever. For centuries we've been rivals. It would be like betraying babbo to join his team!" Buffy looked away for a moment and sighed.

"You're right. Why do I care so much of what he thinks of me? I mean that was years ago, now I'm stronger and smarter!" She looked at her friend in desperation. They both fully understood what she meant.

"Wear that. It makes you look like you have more authority." Willow said finally. Just then, Giles, the Consigliere walked in.

"Zio! What's going on?" Buffy asked.

"Three black Ferraris just pulled in the estate. I must assume that he is here." he said calmly. She looked down, then back up, and opened her mouth to speak when he cut her off.

"You are strong and you have a good head on your shoulders, but I am older than you and you must trust me on this. These people are not to be messed with." he said sternly, then he walked away. Shortly after, Buffy left the room for her office.

Buffy propped her feet on her desk. She was fiddling nervously with her fingers and trying to find a reason as to why he would come to speak to her after all this time.

"Buffy? He's here." Willow stated anxiously, as she led three men in the room.

"Dona Marciano. It feels odd to call you that. I remember being able to address you frequently by 'bambina', or on certain occasions, by 'bitch'," Angelo greeted with a smirk. Buffy looked up to see his face. She twitched.

"Angelo, it's been a long time," she said. "Too long," he clarified.

"I trust you know my fratello William and my cugino Ovest."

"Spike, Wes, why don't you two wait outside for a few minutes, until I'm done?" he said. Once they left the room, he shut the door and there was a long moment of silence.

"Don Vitale, is it now?" Buffy asked. "So how've you been lately?"

"Listen, Dona. This is no time for small talk. I came here to offer my help." Angel's face was serious this time.

"Tell me now, why would we want help from our enemy? Why would we need help? There is nothing that poses a threat against us." Angel chuckled at her ignorance.

"You think you're invincible. Wait till you find out what's in store for you."

"What exactly, Angelo, is in store for me?" Buffy questioned, slowly, as if uninterested.

"Did you hear of Cardinale Giovanni's death?"

She nodded yes in response.

"I shot him yesterday, straight in the forehead. Why, you may ask, would I shoot a Son of God and 'good deeds'? He tried to take a secret shortcut around me. He lied to my face. No one is stupid enough to do that." He looked away, insulted and angry.

"Last night I found out that he was conspiring behind my back. He was recruiting families, making alliances. He wants to take us down. Us, meaning you and me, where all the power lies, Buffy." She was shocked at this revelation.

"Sure, if he didn't have much of a plan, by killing him, it would all be over, but he…he has friends. A lot of friends. And they're angry."

"How many?" she asked, concerned.

"As far as we're concerned, he's already got the Piazzas, the Tarantinos, the Fasolas…you name it! Currently, there are probably only four of five known big guns that still stand alone. We have very few allies left, and the vast majority of them are the small fish. I don't know how we're going to win this war alone, they're all after us, even though we're the biggest around. And that is why I want to make an alliance with you." He looked up at her, straight-faced.

"What do you say?" he asked, lending his hand.

"After all these years, my family has fought to keep you away. It would be an insult!" she spoke loudly, standing up from her leather chair.

"Tell me Dona, would you rather losing your dead father's trust, or would you rather watch your empire fall, along with yourself, your family, and his trust? Your choice. I remember a time when you didn't give a damn! You snuck behind everyone's backs to walk alongside the enemy!"

She thought about it for a moment, then agreed, shaking his hand.

"Fine. It's a deal. You need a place to stay?"

"If it doesn't cause you too much trouble," he answered.

He gradually advanced towards her and stared intensely into her eyes. He grasped her wrist firmly in his hand. "You think you can get your way with me." he said. The icy tone in his voice frightened her.

He pushed her hard against the wall and roughly kissed her. She moved her lips against his and dug her fingers through his short dark hair. After groping for a few minutes she pushed him away, in disgust, as if she were held against her will, still in his grasp.

"What the fuck was that?" she yelled.

"Let me tell you something, Marciano, in the end, I always win." He shoved her on the wall and left the room, with a smirk.

"Spike! Wes! Call for our luggage. We're gonna' be staying here for a while." He ordered.

"Hey boss! Is it just me, or do the girls here look totally fuckable? I mean the New York girls are hot n' all, but they're so hard to get! These are Cali girls, man!" Spike whispered to his brother.

"You're not the only one getting these scary feelings, but if you're looking for easy chicks, the ones in this house are definitely not where you wanna' be. Trust me." Angel replied.

"So how would you get into their pants?" Spike wondered.

"You have to fall in love with them," was all he answered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

A few minutes after Angel left her office, Buffy still lay where he threw her. Then Willow walked in and worried about her best friend.

"Buffy are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Buffy put her hands on her head and slowly slid down the wall, saying, "Oh my god!" over and over again.

"What happened with Angelo? Did he hurt you?"

Buffy didn't know how to answer, so she just shook her head and broke down into tears. Willow held her warmly. "Why don't you talk to him? Make him know how you feel." she suggested.

"I don't know how I feel. I can't describe it and it's terrible!" she sobbed. Willow didn't know how to console her friend, so she ran after Angel and pulled him aside.

"Hey, it's the little redhead!" he said, then his face darkened.

"What do want, Consigliera?"

"What happened in there?" she questioned.

"Nothing. At least nothing you need to know. It was just business, and I'm afraid I can't reveal that information to you right now." he answered, shaking his head.

"Business, eh? Buffy is the strongest person I know so I don't think business would push any tears. Yes, I know all about your little secret. She's my best friend. How couldn't I know?" Willow said sternly.

"All it was was business. If she can't handle it, than that's just too bad for her. She thinks that I don't play fair, maybe I don't, but like you said, she's strong." he said.

He sighed. "Just between you and me, though, I thought that kiss was pretty amazing! All wet n' rough!" he said dreamily.

"You kissed her?" She exclaimed, shocked.

"Well, to be more precise, I tugged on her wrist, pushed her onto the wall and shoved my tongue into her mouth... and you know what? She played along! Then she let go of my lips and I threw her away." he grinned.

"You are one arrogant son of a bitch, aren't you!" she cursed.

"I try, I try." he paused for a moment, then continued, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a phone call. My men were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago."

_**Messina, Sicily, Italy**_

_**2002**_

_Angelo walked down the beach. He was bored. He would have much rather been partying with his friends in New York, or maybe even at one of those cheesy frat parties with his fellow Yale boys in Boston. He wanted to get drunk, make out with some cute girl, get laid. In stead of enjoying his summer off university, he was stuck walking alone at some beach in Sicily, while his father finished off some business with some families. _

_There was something he was longing for. Something he hadn't foreseen before. And she was sitting all alone on the sand staring at the blue sea water._

_"Buffy?" he reached out to touch her shoulder. She jumped._

_"Angelo! What are you doing here?" she stuttered._

_"I was just waiting for my father to finish dealing with some old farts. There's not much to do here, you know." he complained._

_"I hear you, my parents have been out like forever socializing, and I have been sitting here for awhile now." she agreed. _

_Realizing she wasn't picking a fight with him, she asked, "Why are you being so nice to me?"_

_"To tell you the truth, I've been asking myself the exact same question." he replied. _

_"Angel? Remember my first day of high school, at St. Michael's?" she asked tentatively. He nodded, a small grin forming on his face._

_"Why did you kiss me?" He didn't answer. For a long time, no one said anything._

_Breaking the silence, he commented, "This place is really beautiful. And surprisingly I just realized that...you are too...and I know how tacky this sounds but I really don't know how to say it any other way! Sure I have lots of experience but I've never meant it!" When he said this she looked up at him, dumbfounded._

_"I don't know why I spent all my time fooling around with hot dumb chicks, when the most beautiful girl was right in front of my eyes my whole life!" _

_"Angel I... I don't know what to say! I mean... you have no idea how many times I've dreamed of you saying those words to me!" she responded._

_"Is it wrong of me to want to kiss my enemy so badly?" he wondered._

_"If you had a chance to, would you?" She looked up pleadingly at his dark brown eyes, when suddenly he bent down and gently brushed his lips against hers for a brief moment. His heart was pounding and he hoped she didn't hear it. Likewise, her heart was racing and she prayed he didn't notice. They were both extremely nervous, yet they felt so comfortable in each other's grasp._

_"Believe it or not, that was my first real kiss ever...and it was amazing! I guess I was just waiting for you to notice me." she said, wonderstruck. _

_"Eighteen and still so pure. Even better!" he said._

_"Well, you could also count that time when you harassed me on my first day of high school!" she smirked._

_"You know you wanted it, I didn't say anything, but I felt your lips move with mine!" he revealed, still holding her in his arms._

_"It's getting dark. I should get back now." she said, unwillingly._

_"Alright." he said calmly, before pulling her back for one last tender kiss, this time it lasted much longer. As he plunged his fingers in her hair, she moaned, and he thought of all the good things possible._

_"I'll see you around then." she let go and turned away to leave, looking proud._

_"And Buffy?" he called. "If anyone found out about this..."_

_"I know." She smiled warmly at him and walked away._

_"Angelo Vitale kissed me!" she muttered to herself, as she sauntered to her monster Sicilian cottage._

Currently, Angel was leaning against the doorframe of Buffy's room, with a schemingly confidant smirk on his face.

Oblivious to his presence, she walked over from her dresser to a mirror, in only a panty and a bra, where she brought all her hair in front to brush it.

"You've grown your hair even longer now," he said. She turned around, startled. "Seems like you've filled in a bit too!" he motioned to her breasts.

"And who gave you permission to come into my room?" she questioned.

"I did." He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I just came to apologize for earlier today. See, I'm not actually sorry for it, but I just want you to forgive me... And then we could maybe have some make-up sex." She snorted in disgust.

"You wanna' fuck with me that's fine. There. I'm letting you have it your way." she spat out. Then she turned around and continued to brush her hair, handling her hair much rougher this time. "Asshole!" she muttered under her breath.

"Actually baby, no, I do not want to fuck with you. I have no time to waste on little things like that. However, I know you are going to try to find your way around me. I will say though, that I kind of do wanna _fuck_ you." he smiled cockily. She couldn't help but blush.

"Anyways, I'm gonna' leave you to your beautifying. I've got places to go, people to kill." he said. "I'll be back later, since I'm staying here." He waved and walked away. Buffy looked at herself in the mirror and sighed.

"Come little brother! You wanted easy chicks? Let me show you how it's done." Angel told Spike, who plastered a lecherous grin. "Cugino! _Venire_!" he called.

Buffy was walking on the busy streets of LA when the sight of Angelo intensely making out with some girl caught her attention. She watched him carry her out of a bar and into his Ferrari and strip her naked in the back seats. And her heart dropped. She turned around to find an amused Spike and a disheveled Wes watching their Godfather "loosen up". She entered the bar and decided to go up to them.

"What's up with him?" she asked the two, motioning one shot to the bartender.

"Well, _Fluffy_, that's what happens when *Peaches* doesn't know what to do with himself, which is all the time." Spike replied.

"What's going on? He was never like that!" she stated.

"He _was_ always like that, except he used to enjoy it." Spike corrected. "Why would you care anyway?"

"I don't! I'm just wondering!" she stuttered.

"Before, he used to be a cocky bastard. Now he's a heartless cocky bastard." Wes explained. His cousin sniggered at the comment.

"The man we used to know has been long gone, ever since our father died. He really is heartless. He's never happy. He drinks too much. When he's drunk he isn't even a happy drunk like he used to be, he picks fights and gets kicked out of bars. He doesn't even tease our sister anymore! Yes he's a strong and tough leader, but he's a bit too tough. He doesn't take shit from no one! -Which is a good thing I guess, but -" Spike looked down and drowned himself in his whiskey and his thoughts.

It pained Buffy to see how they missed him so much, despite her hatred for them and their family. She supposed it was because she could relate. She, too, missed him in her own little way. She quickly gulped down a shot of her vodka and closed her eyes tight, letting a tear roll down her cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Sorry girl, but I'm gonna' ask you to leave now." Angel pushed the half naked girl out of his car.

"I refuse to leave!" she protested.

"Look, sweetheart, I don't know what you were expecting of me, but we just had car sex. Relationships don't start with car sex. I thought you knew what you were getting yourself into the moment you got into my car!" he said.

"Jerk!" she retorted and walked away, adjusting her bra.

"Nice one Angelo!"

Angel turned around when he heard a familiar voice. His eyes widened.

"Virgilio Fasola!" he exclaimed.

"Surprised to see me?" Angel frowned at the question.

"Not really. I had supposed one of you would show sooner or later, you're all fucked enough to do such a thing." he smirked.

"How about we make a deal. You give up your business to me, and in turn, I'll make sure your family lives. So what do you think, Vitale?" the man asked. Angel chuckled.

"This just keeps on getting better! Frankly, you're a nice guy and all, but you have been conspiring with my enemy so let me see..." he paused and scratched his chin.

"No," he said finally.

"How could you possibly think that I would give everything to you?"

"Maybe this might work." Fasola pulled out a gun and pulled the trigger, as Angel jumped to the side.

Angel's stomach bled, yet he still stood as the other man fled.

"Fasola?" he called furiously, pulling out a gun too. He pointed it straight at his enemy's forehead and fired.

And Virgilio Fasola lay dead in a dark alley.

"Fucking idiot!" Angel muttered, in obvious pain.

By this time, Buffy had already reached her house. She had hitched a ride with Spike and Wes at the bar. As she stepped out of the shower she heard someone knock hard on the front door. Her sister ran for it.

"Angelo!" Dawn gasped. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Asshole mother fucker! The little shit!" he cursed non-stop.

Buffy ran down the stairs, a white towel around her body.

"Angel! God! Are you alright?" she asked, her voice unsteady.

"Does it fucking look like I'm alright?" he spat out, dropping to his knees.

"Shit! You're bleeding so much!"

"No shit! At least this isn't nearly as bad as last time though!"

"We need to take you to a hospital!" she panicked.

"No! They'll know something's goin' on! When they call the blue suits we're as good as dead!" he protested.

"Angel! You've fucking been shot! Do you expect me to just stand there and let you bleed to death? They won't call the cops! It's confidential information!"

"Well they will when Fasola's dead ass hits the news!" he insisted. Buffy took a moment to take in his revelation.

"Dawn! Go get a bottle of alcohol and some bandages! I'll help him into the kitchen!" she ordered.

"How is he?" Willow asked Dawn, as they watched Buffy tend to Angel's wounds.

"I dunno. Buffy seems pretty wigged, and Angel...he's just his usual asshole, except worse." Dawn replied. For a second she lost her train of thought, looking back from her sister to the man in front of her.

"They don't actually hate each other, do they?" she whispered to Willow, who shook her head in response.

"Since when?" she asked.

"Longer than you could have imagined, Dawn."

Dawn hesitated for a moment before she finally understood what her friend was telling her. "Who else knew about this?" she asked.

"Just me...I think," Willow replied.

"How could she fall for him? He's so terrible, and unforgiving, and he's our enemy, and he's a womanizer, and... he's absolutely gorgeous!" Dawn fantasized.

"Some people may surprise you." the redhead said quietly, maneuvering the younger woman away from the scene.

Angel stared at Buffy intently, watching her every move as she gently applied a long strip of gauze around his stomach. His face showed no emotion, just that same dangerously calm look he always had when he was deep in thought. She looked back into his eyes, finally deciding she could no longer avoid his intense gaze. She found herself getting lost in his deep brown eyes, bringing old memories back into her mind.

_**Cambridge, MA, near Boston**_

_**2002**_

_**Harvard University **_

_**North Campus**_

_Buffy giggled as Angel slammed her against the door and kissed her furiously. She unbuttoned his white dress shirt as quickly as possible and in turn, he undid her sundress. Sure, waiting for class to end and seeing Angel secretly behind everyone's backs was a pain, but it was definitely worth it. And he made the experience all too pleasurable when he touched her like that, but she could never tire of it. _

_He abruptly pushed her onto his bed. As he stripped off her clothes, he felt like the luckiest man in the world. Sure, he's done this to dozens of women before, but none like Buffy._

_"Oh god! Angel I love you so much!" she screamed as he caressed her breasts ever so gently, and rocked in between her thighs ever so smoothly. He planted wet kisses all over her neck. "Ti amo Elisabetta!" he moaned, meaning "I love you" in Italian._

_As they lay together naked on the bed in each other's arms, Buffy wondered out loud, "What are we doing?"_

_"Who cares!" was all Angel replied and they both laughed in unison._

As Buffy wrapped a strip of gauze around Angel's stomach, she realized just how nervous and worried she was. _Maybe it's the blood. His blood. His touch. Angel. _She quickly shook all thoughts away and focused back on nursing the man in front of her. He squeezed his eyes shut and grunted in pain as she tightened the bandage. "Sorry!"

"It's fine. I've had worse. Left this scar on my leg. I survived though, because that's what I do. I survive." he lifted his head to look at her straight in the eyes. She returned his stare, sadness written all over her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find the courage to let the words come out of her mouth.

"What're you thinking about, Dona?" he wondered out loud when he noticed her deep in thought.

"Just...stuff." She stretched her neck and looked up at the high ceilings above her. Before speaking, she inhaled deeply.

"What happened to you Angel?"

"I got shot." he said simply, shrugging. Buffy nodded her head in annoyance. "You know what I mean."

"What do you want me to tell you Elisabetta? I'm older, smarter, stronger. People change, you know." he replied, not really giving her an answer.

"And what are you hoping to achieve here?"

"I dunno...money? Respect?" he said, clearly not interested.

"What more could you possibly want? You've got it all! You're this all high and mighty Godfather with all those things, and you still act like the business is hanging off a thread and that it's all you have!" she blurted out.

"Maybe that's because the business is all I have! Omertà. Till death, remember? I'd say the same for you too. And besides, I've got nothing else to lose, not you, not anyone! If I snap just once, I'll lose everything!" he raised his voice suddenly. Buffy's heart sank. There was a long silence.

"Then why did you leave me?" she asked softly, her voice hoarse and broken. A single tear slid down her cheek.

"Because I loved you too much to put you in danger! You were everything to me, Buffy! But when my father landed up with a silver bullet through his forehead, shot by god knows who, I knew we'd all be in danger. If I stayed with you any longer, you might have been killed just like your father and mine!" Then, surprised by his own outburst, he lowered his tone. "Don't you understand? I'll die before I see you get hurt!"

He sounded genuine, almost like he meant those words. But he didn't. She knew that. After how he lied to her before, he could by all means do it again. Because that's what he was, is, a liar.

"You left me all alone. After that day, I decided never to go near any man again. How could I have been so stupid to think that my family's worst enemy had fallen in love with me?" By now, she was all covered in tears. "I loved you," she said quietly, almost inaudibly.

He lifted a hand up and cupped her cheek. She didn't pull away, because at that moment, all that mattered was that she was with him. But then she suddenly snapped back to reality and remembered that he was probably lying. Probably. She gently took his hand off her cheek and went back to bandaging up his wound. For the rest of the time, no one uttered a single word.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**_Cambridge, MA, near Boston_**

**_2002_**

**_Harvard University_**

**_North Campus_**

_An abrupt sound awoke him from his sleep. He pulled off the sheets, rubbed his eyes, and reluctantly walked across the small dorm room to open the door. A tall man stood in front of him. His face fell seeing the man at the door._

_"Adriano." he acknowledged._

_"My apologies if I woke you up." the man said._

_"Could you not have called instead?"_

_"Angelo, this is important. Someone needed to see you in person." he replied. "Can I come in?"_

_Angel moved aside to let him in. He gently shook his roommate, who was buried under the covers._

_"Hmm. Just one more minute." the boy mumbled to no one in particular._

_"Come on man! Get up you lazy shit!" Angel snapped, as his roommate stirred._

_"What the fuck man! I was having the best dream ever! There were two blondes with like the roundest tits ever! And one of them was your super hot fuck buddy...what's her name? Starts with a B..." _

_Angel pulled him out if bed and whispered threateningly to him, "What did I tell you about mentioning her in front of people?" Then he turned his head to face the other man._

_"Meet Johnny Bertini, my pathetic excuse of a roommate. Johnny, this is my cousin Adrian." he introduced._

_"Nice to meet you. What brings you here?" Johnny innocently asked._

_"I came to discuss some family matters with Angel." Adrian answered, turning to his cousin, who ushered him away from his roommate to a more concealed space._

_"People are talking, Angelo. They're questioning your loyalty and your authority," he said quietly._

_"Well you know what cugino? They can talk all they want because I know my authority and I know my loyalty. Right now, my only job is to keep up my studies, finish school, and stay out of trouble." Angel stated._

_"Not anymore." Adrian said simply._

_Angel looked up at him with a shocked and pained expression. For a while he just stared, with no words to say, until he shed a single tear. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair, sniffling._

_"No! It-it can't! I can't..." he couldn't complete his sentence. "My father can't..."_

_"He's gone, Angelo. You have to." _

_"But I'm not ready! Adriano, I can't do this, not now!" he panicked._

_"Pull it together. You're gonna need all the strength you can get. For now, I'm told that all you have to do is finish school, get your degree, and when the time comes, you will eventually have to run the family," Adrian explained._

_"Then who's in charge now?" Angel wondered._

_"Uncle Tony's running things, but you will have to approve of every decision he makes," he replied._

_Taking a deep breath, the young college boy wondered, "And what about Spike? How's my little brother?"_

_"As far as I'm concerned, he know nothing of this, but you will have to inform him of the latest. That shouldn't be a problem for you, since he's on campus too." With that, he left, adjusting his hat._

_"I had a great evening with you, Angel! Thank you for taking me out today," Buffy said lovingly, as they sat in his car alone._

_"Anything for my baby," Angel said kindly. He sighed, and finally got the courage to speak again._

_"Buffy we need to talk."_

_"About what?" she asked naively._

_"About us," he answered hesitantly. Buffy grew nervous at the last word._

_"Wha-what about us?" she stuttered._

_"Baby I love you so much, but we're from two different worlds. I come from the house of Vitale, and you are a Marciano. We're supposed to hate each other and eventually, when I'm Don and you're Dona, we will have to go against each other. This thing between us, it can't go on. We have to end it." He stated._

_"Are you saying that you're breaking up with me because you're... ashamed of being with me?" she tried to let it sink in, tears starting to form._

_"No! Buffy I'm not ashamed of you it's just that..." he took a deep breath, thinking of the harshest words possible._

_"Actually I am ashamed of being with you. I mean who wants a future leader that fucks the enemy's daughter, while hating her at the same time? That's just pure mutiny! The only reason I stayed with you was for the sex, even though I already have a few other fuck buddies. And just now I realized how stupid this all was!" he claimed coldly._

_Buffy's heart sank. She finally let all the tears she was holding in stream freely down her cheeks. It was all just a lie! The bastard! She sniffled. God how it hurt her to hear those words! Little did she know, he wasn't fairing much better._

_"Oh come on, baby! Did you actually believe that I really loved you and that I would stay faithful?" he taunted, trying so very hard to hide his own pain. As he reached out to stroke her cheek, she pushed his hand away._

_"Don't touch me!" she yelled. She instantly got out of his car and ran into her dorm room to cry on her lonely bed._

"Don't touch me!" she yelled. Suddenly she came back to realization. She was buried in her plush down sheets in her large bed. It was only a dream. Just then Willow, Dawn, and a few other members of the household came rushing into her room, obviously disheveled from having just woken up.

"Buffy what's the matter? Are you alright?" Willow asked.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. No need to be worried about me. I'm just fine and dandy, so why don't you guys just go back to sleep, okay?" Buffy insisted.

"You don't look so fine to me, Bella. Why are you crying?" her mother said warmly. At that very moment, a very sleepy-looking Angelo walked in with difficulty from the bullet he'd taken, cursing in Italian under his breath. Everyone turned to stare at his shirtless state.

"What's goin' on here? Is it worth being woken up for?" he questioned groggily, slight discontent evident in his voice. He slowly turned to Buffy's teary form and wondered what happened.

The moment Buffy made eye contact with him, another tear slid down her cheek. Quickly turning away, she noticed her best friend give her a disapproving look. Willow then signaled everyone else to leave the room.

"Buff-y!" Willow whined. "You've been dreaming about him again, haven't you?"

"It's not like I can help it! Since he came back I've been having these dreams about... us and the things that happened when we were together. It's like I'm reliving our whole history again!" Buffy now started crying again.

"I hate it Will! I just hate how he can affect me so much!"

_God! She NEEDS a guy in her life! She's been moping about him for years now!_ Willow thought to herself.

"Willow what should I do?" Buffy asked her Consigliera.

"I'm sorry, Buff, I'm out of ideas. What do you wanna' do?"

"I dunno'."

Before Willow responded, she blurted out something very unexpected.

"I still love him."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Angel awoke from his very vivid dreaming of past memories. He abruptly sat up to take in his surroundings, slightly wincing at the pain in his abdomen from his injury. And then he remembered. This was his "enemy"s house. _Enemy_. Even now the word sounded funny to him. He could never call Buffy his enemy, despite her family name. But things can change. And that's the way the world unfolds.

He slowly pushed away the sheets and with one swift movement, his feet felt the coldness of the smooth granite flooring. He picked up a wife-beater lying around and walked out of the room.

Buffy was sitting alone at the breakfast island sipping coffee when she caught a glimpse of Angel coming down the stairs.

"_Buon giorno_," he greeted nonchalantly as he entered the kitchen .

"Morning. How's the wound?" she asked.

"Looks like shit. Feels like shit. Getting better all the same," he replied. He took a look around, then he asked, "Are we the only people awake?"

"Yup."

"So what was all that about earlier in the morning?"

She looked down at her mug of coffee before quickly answering, "It was nothing."

Angel pulled out a stool from under the counter and plopped down right next to her.

"Wanna' tell me about it?" he asked thoughtfully. One of the quirks that came with the Vitale boss was that he could be so sweet when he wanted to be. Buffy always loved his sincerity when they were together.

"Not really, no. I honestly don't think you'd want to listen to me go on and on about it."

"So anyway," she continued, quickly changing the subject. "What happened last night when you got shot?"

Angel scratched his chin before replying in a bitter tone, "So as it turns out, the Fasolas were working with that son of a bitch cardinal too." Buffy listened intently.

"Remember Virgilio? That shrimpy little boy that we used to always pick on?"

She nodded in response.

"Well he grew up to be not only a very small-made man, but a dim-witted one too. One that thought he could get away with trying to take me down." He scoffed. "And they made him Don!"

"What about the body?" she wondered.

"Rotting in an alley," he said simply.

Just then, his cell phone ran. The moment he picked it up he let out a huge sigh. "_Si_," he answered.

"What do you want Lorne?" he demanded into the phone.

"A letter's been sent here for you. It's got no return address or name attached to it. There is, however, a seal on it with a familiar mark. I can't seem to place it anywhere though. Also, there's blood on it." The man spoke from the other side of the line in a worrying tone.

"When did you get this letter?" Angel asked.

"Just this morning. Cathy woke up this morning and found this in the mailbox. What should I do with it? Are you gonna' give me permission to open it, or do you wanna' see it for yourself?"

"Bring it over here, to Los Angeles, in person, and take a few of the boys with you. Fred can come too. _Ciao_." And he ended the call.

"Who was that?" Buffy asked innocently with a questioning look.

"My boy Lorenzo, back at home in New York. I think we've got ourselves into more trouble than we thought." He stopped talking to think for a second.

"There's a letter addressed to me in New York with no return address. It's got a familiar seal on it. My sister found it this morning. My men are bringing it over here," he summarized.

"Okay. So what's the big deal? People get letters like that all the time. And how do you know it's important? Did you read it?"

"Like I said, my men are bringing it over here so I can see it with my own eyes and open it myself. It may or may not be significant, but when there's blood involved, it automatically is." He took a moment to think before adding sarcastically, "Or maybe the mailman just cut himself really badly and bled all over the letter, which, might I add, is highly unlikely."

"Come, Buff. Let's go workout. We should train and prepare just in case," he suggested. For once he actually was sort of interested in his job, in the sense of not being interested in the slightest, but it would keep his mind off his golden-haired beauty for a while.

Down in the training room, things were getting extremely intense. When Angel fought harder, Buffy fought harder, and vice-versa. They were perfectly in sync. They moved so gracefully together, it was like an art.

The moment Buffy threw a punch, she missed her target. Then she decided on a different move. She swung around and executed a perfect roundhouse kick -and Angel ducked, causing her to lose her balance. While she struggled to get back to her fighting stance, he punched her, kicked her, shoved her to the ground, and made his way on top of her... In a _very_ awkward position. For moments that felt like hours they were breathing hard, staring at each other intensely, never losing focus. Angel suddenly found himself doing something that he once swore never to do again.

He kissed her.

He kissed the girl so sweetly that she felt intoxicated (in a good way). He was so warm all over. All he could smell was her. All he could see was her. All he could taste was her. All he could feel was her.

Her.

Buffy.

Feeling his lips on her lips, she couldn't think. Feeling his chest against her chest, she felt like she almost couldn't breathe. Feeling his arms around her, she felt so safe. For the first time in years, Buffy finally came home.

And all of a sudden, neither cared that they were supposed to be enemies, that he was a Vitale and she was a Marciano. The only thing that they cared about was how much time they had left in this heated kiss before they pulled away.

_**Cambridge, MA, near Boston**_

_**2002**_

_**Harvard University**_

_**North Campus**_

_They had both just gotten back from the airport, where he was supposed to have left town on family business, when they had been ambushed and had ran away back to his dorm. That was when he first realized that they were going to be in grave danger, but he let it slide. _

_Sitting on the bed and sniffling from the cold, Buffy stiffly took off her sweater. She grimaced, a wound on her shoulder blade making its presence. _

_"What?" Angel worried._

_"Oh...um...it's ok, I just have a cut or something," she answered._

_He couldn't stand the thought of her in pain, so he just had to do something about it._

_"Can I -Let me see." _

_"Ok," she said tentatively._

_He slowly sat down on the bed beside her and gently slid a strap of her shirt down to take a look at the cut. _

_"It's already closed. You're fine."_

_Carefully, she leaned back on his chest. She sighed as he held her protectively. _

_"You almost went away today," she stated quietly._

_"We both did," he clarified._

_"Angel...I -I feel like I almost lost you." She felt tears coming to her eyes. _

_"Shhh," he hushed her up._

_"I-," he started. She turned around to look him straight in the eye. "You what?" _

_He swallowed hard and went through ideas in his head on how to tell her this._

_"I love you," he blurted out with no thought. "I try not to but I can't stop."_

_"Me -me too, I can't either," she stuttered. _

_She leaned her forehead against his. Slowly, she gave him a bittersweet kiss. They kissed each other as if it was the only thing keeping them going. Their lips danced together for a few moments before he slightly pulled away._

_"Buffy maybe we shouldn't." She pulled his face to hers once more._

_"Dammit! Just kiss me!" she chastised._

_And he did. The kiss quickly grew more and more heated as they pulled each other closer. He kissed her so sweetly that she almost melted in his arms._

Screw it!_ he thought right before pulling her down onto the bed with him._

"Angel! Your men are here!" Dawn called from above, interrupting their heated moment. Angel quickly got up from his awkward position and jogged up the stairs as fast as possible.

"Lorne, Gunn, Doyle, Fred!" he exclaimed at the sight of them.

"Hey Boss," Doyle greeted.

"Hey Angel," Fred said perkily.

"Angel, man! What's up?" Gunn asked. Angel just shook his head in response.

"Alright, _Angel Cakes_. Here it is." Lorne handed him the mysterious letter. Angel took the letter from his hand, ignoring the name Lorne had given him. "_Grazie_," he thanked. Cautiously, he he opened it, breaking the seal. He pulled out the letter and read silently:

_Godfather Angelo Dante Vitale,_

_You are such a disgrace to your family. What do you think your father would have said if he found out about your fooling about with the Marciano girl? I tried warning him about you, but he refused to listen. That's his loss. You think you are in possession of all the power. True, but not for long. When I take down your precious little empire and that of your sweetheart's, you will bow to me and beg for mercy. You've caused enough trouble. You have managed to escape my plans for you plenty a time. You destroyed every last bit of faith and hope that I had years ago. Now it's my turn. You cannot win this battle. Not this time. Now I'm stronger than all of you scum combined. I will destroy you. I suggest you hand everything to me before it's too late, and in return you will get to keep your life. Fasola and that wretched Cardinal chose to fight on my side, because everyone's lost hope in you._

_It's your choice. I know you're smart, my boy._

As Angel finished reading the letter, written entirely in Italian, he looked up and clenched his teeth together. There was something so familiar in those neatly written words that he couldn't place. There was silence before he finally regained the will to speak.

"I... We need to go back to New York. We need to make sure everyone's alright." he said. "Buffy," he addressed the Dona, who looked up. "Don't let your family out of your sight. Make sure you analyse everything. Maybe consider looking for a traitor, even. Do NOT take any shortcuts and watch your back." She nodded in response.

"Dona! A letter came for you. It looks like there's blood on it. There's no return address," her mother yelled. Buffy looked pointedly at Angel.

"Change of plans. We can't stay here any longer. None of us can. We're going back home, to Italy. All of us," he spoke to everyone. "Spike, make a phone call to New York. Tell them to pack their bags and ready the jets.

"Angel what is happening to us?" Buffy asked worriedly.

"War is happenin' baby."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Messina, Sicily, Italy**

"Ah…Sicilia! Home, sweet home," Lorne commented dreamily, as they got off the private jet.

"Spike! Help me out here, _fratello_!" Angel demanded, as he struggled to climb down the steps of the plane, his stomach in pain from the gunshot wound.

"Angel, I just got off the phone with Cordelia. She said that she, Cathy, your mamma, and everyone else have already arrived at the house," Doyle informed. "Already? How'd they get there so soon?" Angel wondered out loud. Doyle shrugged in response.

The limo finally pulled up at their house. Angel looked out the window of the car in awe. After all these years, this huge house never ceased to amaze him. It was an old villa built in the seventeenth century, but extremely well maintained. His ancestor, Ambrogio Vitale, a wealthy and well-respected lord built this house in 1613, three hundred years ago, back when the family was still legit. A few years later, Ambrogio wanted more power than what he already had, so he turned to less legitimate ways. And so the Mafiosi family was born, though back in the day, it wouldn't be called the Mafia until the early nineteenth century period. Don Angelo Vitale much respected his forefather. Not because of his crimes, but because of his strength and determination.

"God I love it here!" Angel said with pride as he made his way (with difficulty) to the doorstep.

Wes knocked loudly on one of the huge wooden doors. The moment it opened, Isabella Vitale's face broke into a big smile. "Ovest! You're finally here, my young nephew!" she greeted. "Took us long enough," he mumbled, entering the villa. "Alonzo! Freda! Carlo! Lorenzo!" the older woman continued. "_Zia_! I always love your enthusiasm," Lorne praised. "_Buon giorno_, Bella!" Doyle said to her. "Now. Where are my boys?" she asked. Just then Spike came out of from behind slinging a wounded Angel around his neck.

"And just what happened to you this time young man?" Isabella questioned disapprovingly.

"The bloody wanker got himself shot, _again_," Spike told his mother. "Don't know how you managed to train with that hot piece of ass yesterday without that wound healed. Guess the Don's strength runs through the family," he whispered to his brother.

"Angelo?" she glared at her son. "Yes, mamma?" Angel asked sweetly, in an attempt to lessen the nagging he knew he would get.

"How many times have I told you not to do anything stupid? How many times have I told you to stay away from bad people like that who are capable of hurting you?" she scolded.

"Look mamma, I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself! It wasn't my fault! I was caught off guard! And anyway I jumped when he was shooting for my head, so it could have been worse," he responded, still hanging off of Spike's neck.

"Well don't just stand there! Go inside already! Cordelia and Cathy are in the kitchen. They'll patch you up, and later on I'll take a look at that wound."

"Mom it's already patched up! And I heal fast! Bu –" he started, then realized his mother didn't know about his stay at the Marciano estate. "Uh...I already got someone to patch it up, two days ago," he quickly covered up, before going inside the house.

"Buffy! Dawn! Why did you all arrive so late?" Joyce asked, as Buffy, Faith, Willow, Xander, and Giles got to the Marciano villa.

"Sorry, ma, we had to make a stop in Amsterdam, which is completely out of the way, because _Xander _-," she looked pointedly at her foolish cousin, then continued with an annoyed expression, " –insisted that he just had to eat at a subway at three a.m. in the morning!" Joyce chuckled softly, then her expression turned serious.

"So tell me, Dona, my dear daughter, why all the rush to flee L.A. and come here?" she asked.

"How 'bout we go inside first and get some sleep, and I'll explain everything later," she answered.

The next morning, Angel woke up in his lavish bedroom buried under plush pillows and silk bed sheets. There was a loud banging sound nearby. It took him a few seconds to realize someone was knocking on his door. "What?" he grunted in an irritated tone, not wanting to be disturbed.

"It's me," he heard his uncle Tony's muffled voice from the other side of the door.

"What do you want _Zio_?" he mumbled into a pillow.

"Your mother wants you downstairs to eat breakfast and so she can check your wound," he informed, inviting himself into the room, then laughed a little. "So how'd you get shot again?"

Angel groaned. "You know it's really not a big deal. My mother is just a hypochondriac. She worries about everything." He sighed. "But I guess since you're my trusted uncle, I guess it's only fair that I confide in you, but only if you don't tell anyone without my permission." Tony nodded.

"Virgilio Fasola came out of nowhere and demanded I hand over my empire or he'd kill me and my family. So he tried killing me, and he's obviously dead since I'm still alive." Angel explained.

"Hmm," his uncle responded, his expression as though he hadn't heard a thing his nephew told him.

"'Hmm'? That's all you have to say? The Fasola boss is dead after almost killing me, and all you have to say is 'hmm'?" Angel said, shocked.

"Wait… so the guy's dead?" Tony confirmed.

"Yes he's dead! That's what I just said! Weren't you listening?" Angel burst out, still a little moody from his sleep having been interrupted. While letting the words roll off his tongue in pure irritation, he didn't notice his uncle deep in thought.

"How can you be so emotionless after I just told you this little piece of information? I still can't believe that that's all you have to say!" he continued.

"Angel, my boy, why don't you just go make your mother happy by letting her feed you and tend to your wound, eh?" Tony dismissed, all too quickly. Those were the words that caught Angel's attention. _'My boy'_, he thought.

He rapidly got out of bed, despite his sore stomach. "You know what, uncle Tony? I think you're right. I'll just go down and grab a bite. I just realized I'm starving." And he sprinted down the hallway and down the stairs, using the walls and the handrails as support, leaving his uncle in a confused state.

As he fled from his room, he was trying to figure out why his uncle's words sent a chill down his back. Those two simple words seemed so familiar. _'My boy'_, he repeated in his head like a mantra.

"Morning Buffy!" everyone greeted as she came into the kitchen. She looked around and saw the whole household having breakfast. "Morning," she returned flatly.

"Gee someone seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed today," Xander commented, noting his Dona's monotone voice, blank expression, and dark circles under her eyes.

"Maybe some people seem to have just woken up on the absolute right side of the bed today," she snapped.

"God! You're in a mood," Dawn said.

"And you're just being plain annoying like the annoying little sister that you are! You know it's not my fault that I can't sleep because I keep having these bad dreams about this one person that bugs the fucking shit out of me because he thinks that he's such a cool good looking guy who gets whatever he wants! And he is by the way a good looking guy who gets whatever he wants, but he is so NOT cool because he thinks he knows what's best for me and then later on he tells me he's sorry but he does nothing to fix it! I mean what kind of stupid annoying son of a bitch person does that!" Buffy concluded, taking a deep breath after rambling on and on about something that only Willow understands. And everyone stared at her as if she grew ten eyes.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Are you okay? You seem kinda'…" Faith started.

"Say it and I will bite your fucking head off! And I don't give a shit that you're my Underboss because I'm not in the mood to forgive. Especially that fucking bastard that keeps putting me through his obnoxious little torture with his infuriating ways and his freakin' twisted mind! God! Do I ever want to hit that prick!" Buffy rambled on again. Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Uh…I'll go get it," said Willow awkwardly. Just outside the house stood Angel, Spike, Wes, Cordy, Fred, Doyle, and Gunn.

"Hey guys!" she voiced. Angel and his gang followed him as he entered the house. "Wait! Angel!" she stopped him.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Well you see, Buffy's kinda' in a bit of a state," she explained. Then, she leaned closer to him, so everyone else would be out of earshot when she whispered, "I think it's because of you." He looked confused.

"You'll see."

Angel walked in the kitchen. "Mornin' beloved Marcianos!"

"Oh! So now you think you can insult my family too, eh?" Buffy sent him a death glare.

"I didn't insult anyone, well not directly at least," he stated. Noting her expression, he suddenly felt like he shouldn't have added the last bit.

She slowly approached him and stared deep into his eyes with pure anger. She took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead before slapping his cheek so hard that he was sure her print would last forever.

"Fuck! Shit! What the fucking shit was that for? Are you trying to kill me here? Maybe it was you that sent Fasola to kill me after all! And have you not noticed that I already got shot? I mean a gunshot wound _and_ a slap from this _bambino_ in less than three days! There's only so much a guy can take!" he complained.

"Oh! And this suddenly became my fault? Can you believe this guy? He thinks the world revolves around him! Have you ever considered my feelings? No, obviously not because -" _'My boy' 'My boy' 'My boy'_

"That's it! No. He's my uncle, for god's sake, why would he do such a thing?" Angel pondered.

"Don't you go blaming this on your poor uncle! How could you even think I was talking about him in the first place?" she chastised.

"Shut up for a second Buff!" He tried to concentrate on a thought in his head. _It was the letter!_ he thought.

_It's your choice. I know you're smart, my boy._

"What? Now you're telling me to shut up? The nerve!" Buffy screamed at Angel, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Are you even listening to me?" she asked, venom dripping from her words. And she went on and on. At that point, all Angel could think of to do was to kiss her lips shut.

And he did.

And she did.

And they were completely oblivious to the shocked crowd around them.

A few moments later, she pushed him away with disgust. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

He kissed her again. The kiss was harsh and rough, but filled with passion. Finally they both pulled away.

"Mother fucker!" she cursed him angrily as he smirked.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Messina, Italy, 1992**_

_**The Vitale Estate **_

_A ten year-old Angelo had just woken up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water. He was walking down the quiet hall at twilight to get back to his room, when he heard his father and his uncle Tony in a heated argument in his father's office. He walked closer to the room to listen in. Though he didn't think much of eavesdropping, he just couldn't bring himself to go back to his own room._

"_First of all, I am the eldest out of all of you and you are the youngest. Second of all, I've got a better head on my shoulders than you have. I don't have such terrible thoughts as you. And lastly, I am stronger than you and will always be stronger than you. You hear me? You don't hear Cesare complaining! You know why? Because he's not an evil son of a bitch like you! I can't believe you are my brother! You are not a true Vitale!" Don Maurizio Vitale spat out._

"_How do you deserve this power? You barely even use it, unless something has to absolutely be done! You are weak!" Antonio Vitale yelled._

"_But I am still stronger than you are. I am still better than you are."_

"_One day. One day I will come looking for revenge. And you will beg me for mercy." _

Two weeks after their leaders' lip-lock, the Marciano and Vitale households were quiet. Neither made contact with each other since. No incidents happened over the two weeks and with nothing to do, Buffy decided to take Willow, Tara, Anya, Dawn, and Faith shopping. They came in and out of numerous stores, tried on the priciest clothes they could find, and walked out with outrageous receipts.

Now, a few hours later and several name-brand shopping bags at hand, the girls sat down for a moment to rest. Buffy was shoving a spoonful of gelato in her mouthy when her cell phone rung.

"Si," she answered.

"What store are you at?" Angel barked into the phone.

"Um... outside Versace. Why?" she said, wearing an expression of confusion.

"Get ready to leave, Bambina. I'm picking you up in five minutes. Don't worry about your girls being alone. They have Faith to protect them in case of emergency." And sure enough, he arrived outside Versace exactly five minutes later.

"Angel, this is insane! I can't just leave with a man I'm not even sure I can fully trust, to an unknown location, while my family is watching!" she protested.

He gave her a piercing glare and she just glared back, trying hard to overpower his glare.

"Fine, I'll go! But you have to give me a full explanation later," she relented.

"Great." He smiled quickly before turning to the other five girls. "Alright, ladies, I'm gonna steal your Dona for a bit. We'll be back in a few days, so ciao for now!" he said dismissively and dragged Buffy to his car.

"A few days? A FEW DAYS?" she exclaimed.

"Just shut up and smile, sweetheart," he told her. She huffed, then stopped dead in her tracks as she stood in front of his car.

"Wow, Angelo, you've outdone me yet again. I know you always have the best of things, but a Bugatti?" she said, amazed.

"Yup, this car is my baby. You know me; I have to have the best. Ain't she a thing of beauty?"

"No kidding," she muttered.

"And cost me a fortune too. I have the most expensive car in America. I usually keep it in Italy though," he explained.

"Now, you owe me an explanation."

Angel sighed loudly before speaking.

"We are off to Calabria, but first, we are dropping by your place to pick up your stuff," he stated bluntly.

"What? Why?" she wondered.

"My uncle left for Catanzaro in Calabria yesterday to meet some old friends," he said, emphasizing "old friends" in a sarcastic way.

"So? Why do we have to go too?" she asked.

"Well someone has to do the dirty work around here," he said with a frown. "Then again I don't want anyone else besides you to know about these affairs."

"Still not getting the point here!"

"The Calabrese 'Ndrangheta are shady people," he said.

"They're Calabrian mobsters. As if it wasn't obvious," she said in a sarcastic voice.

"My uncle's also a pretty shady guy."

"We're all pretty shady people. Just get on with the point already!" she growled.

"Let's just call it a business trip. I will tell you everything you need to know and do, and you will listen. OK?" he said calmly.

"Humph. Whatever you say," she said in boredom.

"Great. Now hurry up and pack a few days worth of necessities for the trip," he ordered as he pulled up in front of the large Marciano villa.

As soon as Buffy came back with a duffel bag full of clothes and hopped in the sports car, Angelo sped off to the airport.

"Angel why aren't we taking your jet?" she asked as he led her to the terminal.

"Don't you think it would look a bit suspicious if we suddenly land in Calabrese sporting a top of the line twelve-seater private jet?"

"Why can't we just drive to the place? You know how much I hate air travel," she complained.

"Babe, I'm a godfather, not a chauffeur. There is no way you're getting me to drive long distances, especially in this car. And for the record, don't even suggest driving yourself if I won't 'cos you know you can't drive for nuts," he deadpanned.

"Angel, it's not even that far! If you really don't want to drive, why didn't you just higher a driver? It's not like you can't afford it," she said.

"I don't want anyone but you and me to know where we're going. It would be taking a big risk if someone else were to know where we're heading."

After that, they sat in silence for the rest of the ride to the airport.

"Angel, I've never used the public airlines," Buffy commented as he backed into a parking spot.

"Just follow me," he said, leading her to a desk.

A young woman with dark wavy hair stood behind a desk and asked to check their passports in Italian. Buffy thought she seemed nice enough, but when the woman started to shamelessly flirt with Angel, she hated to admit it but she was slightly ticked off.

"Ragazza! This isn't a whorehouse! You should be checking our passports, not throwing yourself at men!" she snapped.

"Non parlo inglese," the woman said, slightly frightened by the tone of Buffy's voice.

"I said that you should be checking our passports and not fucking him with your eyes!" she yelled in Italian.

"Whoa! Easy there, Buff! No need to get jealous," Angel intervened.

"I was SO NOT jealous!"

"Really? Cos' from where I'm standing, all I can see is jealousy," he said, which Buffy growled at.

"Fuck you all! Just check our god damn passports and let us on the plane already!"

"_Flight 72 Alitalia to Catanzaro will take off in 15 minutes_" A man with and accent announced over the intercom.

"Oh shit! That's our flight! Let's go!" Angel panicked, grabbing hold of her hand.

They boarded the plane on time and sat down in their seats next to an American couple.

"So what's a couple like yourselves from San Diego doing in Italy?" Buffy asked.

"Oh we're on our honeymoon. We thought it'd be so romantic to travel around Italy. What about you two?"

"Uh...we are here because...the plane is taking us to...a place that is not here...?" Buffy answered nervously before a wave of nausea passed through her as the plane lifted off the ground.

"Oh god, Angel!"

"What's the matter?"

"And this brings us back to why you couldn't have just hired us a fucking driver to take us there! " she said through her teeth.

"Why don't we just make sure you throw up in the toilet and not on me."?

"Suits me." She ran to the bathroom holding her stomach.

And the rest of the plane ride went on the same way for the most part. -The American couple asking them why they're there, Buffy feeling motion sickness before they can answer, and Angel holding Buffy over the toilet bowl to throw up.

**Catanzaro, Calabria, Italy**

"So how was your first time on public air travel?" he asked once they landed.

She slapped him senseless for the horrible ride.

"Alright then," he said awkwardly, massaging the cheek in pain. "If my calculations are correct, the cab should be here in twenty minutes."

The ride to the little inn was a half hour away from the airport.

"Casa di Catanzaro. This is where we're staying? A run down inn?" Buffy scoffed.

"Yes. If we want to keep our cover, you just gotta suck it up and learn to live like your daddy never spoiled you," he replied.

"Ha! Like you can survive in a place that's much under your standards! You can't even go one day without wearing an outfit that costs less than five hundred!"

"Actually, in grade school I wore an outfit that cost me just under three hundred. And then in high school I once came dressed in only a pair of pink boxers to show Spike that I've got guts! Remember?"

"You're an idiot."

They walked into the inn and an aged man stood behind a high counter.

"Buon giorno," he said expressionlessly. Angel exchanged a few words with the man before the man assigned their room.

"The same room? Angel you have got to be joking! Why can't we stay in different rooms?" she exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"He claimed that there was only one room left," he answered, leading the way to their room.

"This can NOT be happening! Boy, I am so not bedding with you! Don't tell me there was only one bed available!" She stated. From the looks of it, he seemed shocked too.

"Ragazza! Venire!" He yelled at a girl dusting some furniture in the hall and demanded for an extra bed. The bewildered girl told him that there was no other bed.

"Okay then. I guess this is it. It seems somewhat...comfy," Buffy muttered.

They both decided to take a nap, an awkward tension in the air. After dinner, a cab drove them to a large estate just outside the city.

"Welcome to the Cassalia estate, home to the Cassalia family and their leader Alberto Cassalia," Angel stated once they reached.

"What are we even doing here?" She asked.

"Just checking up on my uncle Tony, who is apparently staying here." He walked quietly along the wall, hoping they were out of the security cameras' range. "Now keep as quiet as possible and stay hidden behind me."

"What, so we became spies now?"

"If that's what you wanna call it."

"Why are we spying on your uncle?" she wondered.

"Buffy I want you to listen very carefully. Don't go telling anyone this theory of mine," he said.

"Okay, go on," she prompted.

"I think it might have been my uncle. I think he's the one behind it all. –The letter, our fathers, the Cardinal, Fasola, you name it! I hate to say it and I hate to think about it, but it's the only thing that makes sense," he deadpanned, a sullen expression on his face. She listened intently as he went on.

"I don't know how I didn't figure it out earlier! There was this one time, when I was ten, and I had just woken up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water, and I accidentally over heard an argument going on between my father and my uncle. It seemed like my uncle wanted more power. He said that he would come looking for revenge one day. And I didn't think much of that conversation back then."

"So say he really is our guy, what do we do about it?"

"Well, I guess we just have to keep a close eye on him and see what happens, and when or if the time comes, I'm gonna…I'm going have to slaughter my own uncle, whether I want to or not," he replied, as they crept towards the open window of the large house.

"So, my good friend, is everything set in place?" they heard Tony ask.

"Yes, I believe it is. Now all we have to do is wait for your beloved nephew to come to us," Alberto replied as Tony dialed a number on his phone. At this, Angel looked to Buffy with an expression of worry.

"Gerry? Yes. It's Tony. Did you do your job? Yes, well hurry up. I expect to be seeing you soon. Ciao." Tony snapped his phone shut.

"Alright Buffy I've heard enough to understand that this is all Tony's shit. Let's head back to the inn."

A few hours later, when all was dark inside and outside of the inn, Buffy found herself unable to fall asleep, so she stepped out onto the balcony to take in her surroundings and think for a while. Unbeknownst to her, Angel was awake too and was wondering why she was staring into open space on the balcony. He silently walked up to her.

"A penny for your thoughts?" he asked. She turned around, slightly surprised.

"Sorry if I woke you," she said.

"I was already awake," he stated. "What's wrong?" he asked sincerely.

"Nothing…Everything…I don't know." She looked sad and he hated seeing her like that.

"I miss my father. I miss not having all of this responsibility. I miss what we used to have. I miss it all," she said finally.

Then he wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her neck softly. She turns her head around and their lips meet. Their gentle kissing soon turns into intense making out as Angel slams her into the railing of the veranda, and she pushes him into the wall behind, still kissing him furiously. He then flips them around so that he has her against the wall instead.

Breathing hard, he places his hands on both sides of her face and smoothes back her golden tresses, and he looks her straight in the eye.

"I love you Buffy. I always have," he says, before leaning in to claim her lips with passion again.

He lifts her up and she wraps both of her legs around his waist.

"Angel," she breathes out softly, panting, as he carries her to the bed.

"Angel, Angel I love you. Please…god! Angel, touch me!"


	9. Chapter 9

A Fair Game

Chapter 9

Cathy Vitale was enjoying her time alone. The first thing she did when she woke up was walk out onto her balcony and watch as the sun rose. It was a beautiful, bright morning in Sicily. So, what better way to spend it than at the pristine vineyards on the estate?

As she strolled through the rows of wine grapes, she wondered what her oldest brother was up to. Angel hadn't been seen since yesterday morning. He just took off without informing everyone about his whereabouts. Not even Spike, who was closest to him, had an idea. She knew Angel could take care of himself, but still, she worries for him. One time he disappeared for a week and Spike and Gunn found him bound and bloodied in an abandoned warehouse.

She looked up and spotted a white rose in a bush nearby. She walked over to it an plucked it. _Its beauty was so approachable, yet unattainable_, she thought as she held in the palm of her hand. She lifted it up to her nose to sniff it and suddenly heard a rustling behind her. She slowly turned around to inspect the source of the noise. Her eyes widened suddenly, as a tall, unfamiliar man hit her in the head. Before she knew it, she was knocked out cold.

The sun was shining high and bright in Calabria. Angel was starting to wake up from the wildest dream ever. He suddenly realized that there was something warm in his arms. He slowly opened his eyes to find a diminutive blond curled up next to him. He smiled as he watched Buffy sleeping soundly. _Wait... Buffy?_ he jumped up as he came to realization. His wild dream from the night before wasn't a dream.

"Holy shit!" he swore under his breath, wide-eyed. He placed both hands on his head. "Holy shit!" He said again, this time with a smile forming on his lips.

All of a sudden, his phone started to ring, ruining his silence. With a groan, he picked it up to answer it.

"What do you want William? I'm kinda busy at the moment, if you don't mind," he said, disgruntled.

"Number one: don't call me William because Spike is way cooler. Number two: I bet you're not busy. Number three: where the bloody fuck have you been? And lastly, our little sister is missing."

"Where I am is none of your business and WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Angel yelled into the phone.

"One minute Cathy was in the vineyards and the next she was gone!" Spike answered.

"GONE? What do you mean GONE?"

"I mean gone as in poof! Disappeared! She can't be found!"

"Fucking son of a bitch!" Angel muttered.

"You know something about this?" His brother asked suspiciously.

"No." Angel hung up.

A soft moan escaped from his lover as she stirred. She gradually opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

"Angel?" She called in a quiet voice.

"Baby go back to sleep. I've got some stuff I need to take care of," he replied.

"Where are you going? Why don't you come back to bed?"

"It's nothing you need to worry you're pretty little head about," he said, loading his silver gun.

"No. You're not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on," she stated firmly.

Angel put down his loaded gun onto a table and pulled out his phone from his pocket. He punched in a few digits and let the phone ring.

"Yo, Boss! Everyone's going crazy over here. What are we gonna do about your sister?" he heard Gunn say through the speakers of the phone.

"_We_ aren't going to do anything about my sister. I'm gonna take care of the son of a bitch ALONE. You hear me?"

"But how? I mean, you don't even know who he is... or do you?"

Angel paused for a moment and sighed before saying," No. I don't know who it is. In fact, I have no leads whatsoever."

"You're lying, Angel. I know you wouldn't do something so stupid like kill a man when you don't know which man you're going to kill."

"And so what if I was lying. You will take no part in this, lies or truth. That's an order."

"Fine. You owe me an explanation... And I want it now."

"Sorry, Gunn. I have no time for storytelling."

"At least tell me where you are."

"You know, around," Angel replied. "Listen. I've got a job for you. If Buffy is in trouble, you answer the phone," he said, then he turned towards Buffy. "Did you get that, Buff?" She nodded.

"Gunn, I know you are planning to go looking for me and bring backup. I'm gonna say this once more and I ain't gonna say it again. You will take no part in this, EVEN if," he paused to look over at his lover, giving her a sharp glare.

"EVEN IF Buffy asks you to help look for me, which she is DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO DO." Buffy's expression turned sheepish as she heard him.

"Alright, alright, Boss! I promise!" Gunn relented.

"You'd better," Angel warned before hanging up the phone.

He walked over to Buffy and gazed at her perfect nude form. His hand gently grazed the side of her body from the bottom of her hip to the top of her breast. Then, he placed her hand in his.

"Now, baby, I know you're stubborn. I know you're impulsive. I know you're everything in between," he said calmly. "But just this once, when I ask you to not do anything stupid, please do NOT do anything stupid. You are going to glue your ass to this bed and stay put."

"But Angel I can't just stay put! How am I supposed to not do anything knowing that you're in danger? And what am I supposed to do while you're gone?" she whined.

"You, my dear, will forget about me for a some hours. If you become bored, play with yourself. Watch porn or whatever. When I get back, tell me if I'm hotter than the guy porn stars" He chuckled. "I've been told that my goods are way better than anyone else out there."

Buffy pouted and he grinned at her reaction. He placed his hands on both sides of her head.

He tenderly kissed her lips for a brief moment, then he placed a firm kiss on her forehead.

"I love you," he told her in an airy voice before walking out the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Buffy was stuck in the hotel room alone with nothing to do. She lay naked on the bed, her hair tousled. She hadn't bothered to throw any clothes on since she was alone. After Angel had left she found she was more bored than ever. So, she decided to take Angel's suggestion on watching porn. She turned on the TV and selected the adult channel. Two seconds later, she took the remote in her hand and shut the TV off.

"God could it ever get more disgusting!" she mumbled to herself.

She stared into space for a few moments before grabbing her cellphone. She punched in a few digits and held it to her ear. It rang three times before someone picked it up on the other end.

"Hello? Marciano, is that you?"

"Hey Gunn. Do you have minute?" Buffy asked.

"Ya, I guess, since Angel's orders were to hear you out," Gunn replied.

"We have to go after Angel," she stated.

"What? No! My boss made it very clear that we do the exact opposite of that!"

"Oh please! Don't give me that crap! Like you were ever planning to not go after him!" she said sarcastically.

"Okay, fine. I wasn't going to follow his orders, but I have a feeling that he will kill me when he sees me. Then, he will kill me again when he sees you! And by the way, why does he even care whether you're dead or alive? Why do you care whether he's dead or alive?" Gunn wondered.

"God, you Vitales are always so nosy! You guys always have to know everything!"

"First of all I am a _Costa_, but I am _involved_ with the Vitales. Second of all, we are not nosy, we just give knowledge more value than others do," he corrected.

"Same difference. Anyways, I am at a little inn in Catanzaro called, 'Casa di Catanzaro', room 18. Be there," she firmly stated.

A few hours later, a knock sounded at the door.

"Buffy? Are you in there?" Gunn asked from the other side of the door.

No answer.

"Buffy?" he repeated.

No answer.

He was starting to panic slightly. So he called her name one more time. When he heard nothing yet again, he tried turning the doorknob. To his fortune, it easily turned in his hand. _They want to be safe, but yet they don't lock the door!_ he thought. He entered the room just as Buffy walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around.

She shrieked at the sight of her lover's friend as in the process, dropped the towel covering her wet, naked body. It was then Gunn's turn to scream as she accidentally stripped in front of him. Buffy quickly picked up her towel and hid her nude form from any gazing eyes around.

"What the hell are you doing here Gunn?" she yelled.

"You asked me to come!" he replied, in minor shock.

Buffy suddenly came to realization and remembered what they spoke about on the phone.

"Well haven't you heard of knocking?" she asked bitterly.

"I did. A few times, as a matter of fact," he replied. "I even called your name repeatedly!"

"There's a thing called waiting," she said sarcastically.

"We'll I'm sorry if I panicked and worried that something bad had happened to you and Angel would have had it off with me for not being there!"

"Whatever. Do you mind getting out of this room so I can change in peace? 'Cos I certainly ain't changing in front of you. You've seen enough already. If Angel found out that you saw me naked today, he wouldn't be too happy."

Gunn walked out of the room and suddenly wondered why Angel would care about who saw her naked. He shrugged it off, knowing that his boss could be strange sometimes.

A few minutes later, Gunn got permission to re-enter the room. As he walked in, he notice that there was only one bed and Angel's duffel bag was right beside it.

"Angel just checked out from his room and left his stuff here, right?" he asked wearily.

"Nope," Buffy replied non-chalantly. "He stayed in this room."

"But there's only one bed!"

"So?"

And then, a sudden realization came over Gunn. He widened his eyes and opened his mouth.

"Holy hell! Angel fucked, you didn't he?" he exclaimed. "How? When?"

"Gunn, this really isn't any of your business. What goes on in my love life doesn't concern you."

"Oh yes it does too! I thought you guys hated each other! In fact, our house and your house are supposed to hate each other!" He paused for a second. "Wait - did you just say your love life? As far as I'm concerned Angel is never part of any love lives. Maybe sex lives, but never love," he observed.

"There's a lot you don't know and there's a lot that you don't need to know right now. God! You guys really do make the nosiest species of all time!"

"Nosy, but great. Now come on. We have more pressing matters to worry about."

And they set off to find the Godfather.


	11. Chapter 11

Angel slowly stepped out of the taxi and turned his head around to take in his surroundings. He breathed in the sweet-smelling air and smiled. A cruel, cruel smile. _Oh yes_, he thought to himself. I_ am going to tear this bastard apart slowly. This bullshit ends today_.

He took careful steps toward the door a few feet away from him. _Five, four, three, almost there, two..._

"Knock-knock!" he called, an all too smug expression on his face.

"Name?" the butler asked.

"Angelo Vitale, for Signor Alberto Cassalia," he replied.

"Signor Cassalia is busy at the moment."

"Tell him it's important, that I need to speak with him today," he stated. _Perfect. I can't wait to watch him shit in his pants when he hears that I'm here._

From the doorway, Angel could hear his uncle's and his family _friend'_s hushed voices as the butler interrupted them.

"What the fuck is he doing here? I thought you said that he knew nothing!" Cassalia demanded in a failed attempt to speak quietly.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know what the boy's up to? I can only say that he doesn't know jack about this. He couldn't," Tony replied.

"Let's keep it that way. If he somehow found out about what we're doing, he will tear this place apart!"

"Are you honestly afraid of my nephew? He couldn't hurt a fly if I asked him to. All he does is talk big," Tony reassured. Then he rubbed his potbelly and turned to the butler. "Let him in."

Angel took long, slow strides as he entered the mansion.

"Angelo! What a nice surprise! What, may I ask, brings you to my city today?" Cassalia asked, a bright smile plastered on his face.

But Angel caught it. The snarl behind the overly wide smile. The threat in Cassalia's words "my city." So he played naive and nonchalant and pretended he didn't notice.

"Oh, you know, the blue sky, the bright sun! Just thought I needed a vacation, and since I was in town, I thought I would drop by to see how things are going for you," he answered innocently. He then turned his attention to his traitor of an uncle. "Tony! What're you doin' here?"

"The same thing you are, visiting friends," Tony replied coolly.

"Well, since we're all here, I have some news, if you haven't heard already. Cathy's missing. I've got people searching left right and center. Do you two know of anyone who could have taken her?" Angel asked. He could see the relief washing over the two older men in front of him as he showed that they weren't suspects.

"How could anyone do such a thing? Perhaps the Fasolas? Maybe the corrupt Cardinal's men? After all, you did kill their bosses," Cassalia offered, trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

"Perhaps, however I don't really remember telling anyone besides my uncle Tony about having killed them. Guess it must have just slipped out of his damn mouth when you two were planning to fuck me over!" Angel spat out.

"Do you take me for a FUCKIN' IDIOT? Do you HONESTLY think that I could let you go and conspire against the Vitale empire?" he growled through his teeth.

"Angelo, I -I think there's been a bit of a... a misunderstanding. I have ab-absolutely no -no idea of what you're accusing us of" Cassalia stuttered.

"Yeah, and trees can talk," Angel said flatly. "Nonetheless, don't worry too much, Signor, you're punishment is not nearly as bad as my dear uncle Tony's."

"Angel, my boy, you're being unreasonable. I could never harm you. We're family. If anything, it's Alberto you should worry about. He's the one who's been after your power for ages," Tony said calmly, trying hard to keep his fear at bay.

"Oh please, Zio, don't give me that crap. I know you're behind it all and you have been for years now. You-" Angel was interrupted by his uncle.

"Kiddo, where are you getting all this nonsense from? You know I love you." Angel rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

"And that's where you go wrong. I'm NOT a kid anymore. I'm a man, capable of making my own decisions. And most of all, for the FUCKING last time, I am NOT a idiot and you will learn today that NO ONE messes with me!" Angel was now beyond anger. Rage was coursing through every vain and muscle in his body. He was infuriated.

"Would a brainless twit be able to find out that you were plotting you're nephew's demise? That you kidnapped his baby sister? Or better yet, would he be able to figure out the fact that his own freakin' uncle murdered his father because of pointless jealousy and idiocy? Huh?" he continued.

"ANSWER ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he yelled, drawing a silver gun out of his jacket and pointing it at his uncle.

"Angel, listen to me. I had to do it," Tony stated.

"Yeah? You had to kidnap my sister? You had to kill my father?"

"I just want justice! I want to be able to live knowing that I'm not useless, that I'm not just in everyone else's shadow!"

"Ha! And look where you've gotten yourself with that kind of thinking!" Angel chuckled dryly. His expression then turned shades darker. "Uncle don't make me do this."

"You don't have to."

Angel started to lower his gun. Suddenly, he lifted it up swiftly with one hand and slammed it against Tony's head.

"Sorry, Tony, I'm not gonna let you off that easy. I'm NOT an idiot. First, you threaten your brother, then your nephew, then your niece. Oh, and don't forget about your nephew's girl too! You are the idiot here. You, not me."

He kicked his uncle hard in the chest. In the back of the room, Alberto Cassalia was slowly trying to get away.

"Don't you even dare!" Angel shot Cassalia in the leg. A few guards started to file in, guns in their hands. Angel started to fight them.

Just then, Buffy and Gunn burst in the room with a few others following them.

"Hang on, babe! We brought help and we've got Cathy!" Buffy yelled over all the noise.

"Buffy! Gunn! What the fuck are you doing here? I thought I made myself damn clear that you were not to interfere!"

"Boss-man, did you honestly believe that we would stay put while you get yourself killed?" Gunn asked.

"ANGEL GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Buffy screeched as Tony was about to shoot him in the head. Before anything happened, Angel shot him in the chest and grabbed his throat hard.

"I trusted you! Dammit, I looked up to you! How could you?" Angel looked at his uncle sympathetically as he pulled out a knife and shoved it in his uncle's stomach. "I'm sorry, Angel," Tony whispered hoarsely.

Angel took out his cellphone and dialed a number.

"Ready?" Doyle asked from the other side of the line.

"Ready." Angel sighed, then yelled to Buffy, Gunn, and his men, "Time to go!"


	12. Chapter 12

Buffy held on to Angel's arm as they watched the Cassalia Estate burst into flames.

"So...do you like my pyrotechnics?" Doyle asked, turning to Angel.

"Fabulous, Doyle." Angel had an unusual expression on his face, as if he had more to say but he didn't know what to say.

"Think it was worth it?" Buffy wondered.

"Yeah, I do," Angel answered, leaning in for a kiss. Everyone looked at them quizzically.

"Ahem," Doyle cleared his throat. "What's up with you two?"

"Apparently they fuck and it's none of our business, so I learned this morning," Gunn replied. "And forget about them. We've got more important things to discuss like HOW THE _HECK_ did Doyle get to be a part of your plan to take down your uncle while no one else knew a thing?"

"Well, he's good at looking like an innocent dumb ass, plus he listens to me. You all should try that some day," Angel said flatly. "Anyways, you okay sis?"

"Yup I'm fine Angel. A little dazed and shocked, but I'm fine," Cathy said.

"Everyone else?"

"We're all good," Buffy stated with a smile.

"I love you Buffy."

"I love you Angel...even if you're a cocky asshole," she giggled and pulled him down for another sweet kiss.

"Hey, Gunn?" Angel called.

"Uh huh?"

"You know that later I'm gonna have it off with you for disobeying me right?"

Gunn sighed. "I figured that was coming."

"You know it," Angel smirked.

_A few weeks later, on the beach_...

The sun was bright and warm. The sky was clear and cloudless. Angel was standing on the sand, the deep blue water of the Mediterranean Sea touching his feet.

In his arms, he held his one and only true love. Together, they stared at the mountains in the distance, thinking about absolutely nothing.

"Angel?" Buffy broke the silence.

"Yeah Baby?" he replied, look down at her round hazel eyes, which were filled with so much love. _God, she's beautiful!_ he thought to himself.

"I'm pregnant. You're gonna be a daddy," she revealed tentatively.

"Oh, Buffy! That's..." He paused for a moment. "That's amazing!"

She buried her head in his chest. "Yeah, it is pretty incredible. So is all that crap about us not being able to be together over now?"

"Yes, of course. Definitely over. We are going to be happy," he said firmly, as he thought about all the things he could do to her once they got back to his room at the villa.

They stared into each other's eyes for a long while before connecting their lips in a passionate kiss.

The warm summer winds went on blowing softly as the two lovers stood on the shore ensconced in each other's arms, the sea's waves at their feet.

_Oh yes, we will be happy._


End file.
